“You probably do not understand yourself as
well as you think you do.”
By: Steve Ayan
Published: May 15, 2018, The Scientific American, https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/10-things-you-dont-know-about-yourself/
Level of difficulty: ***
QUESTIONS
1. Your perspective on yourself is
distorted
Watch: https://www.healthyplace.com/blogs/buildingselfesteem/2014/11/negative-thoughts-distort-your-reality
a. What surprising revelation is made
at the beginning of the text?
b. The underlying reason for
introspective illusion is that…
c. What conclusion can be drawn from
Pronin’s experiment? What is the reason for the attitude displayed by the
subjects?
d. What does “this conclusion” in the
last paragraph of the text refer to?
2. Your motives are often a complete
mystery to you
a. Researchers resort to various
procedures to discover who the person really is. What is the reason for their
endeavors? To determine…
b. Reactions that are not carefully
thought out are a better / worse reflection of true character because…
c. Look back at the whole section. Which
of the following sentences could form the concluding statement:
·
In
short, different tests have different functions when assessing a subject’s
personality
·
In
short, different tests are needed for a fuller picture of subject’s personality
3. Outward appearances tell people a
lot about you
a. What finding mentioned in this
section corresponds closely to what has already been mentioned about self
knowledge?
b. Imagine a typical sociopath came to
a big social event. Would the people at the party be able to tell he was a
sociopath? Why or why not?
c. Imagine you are at the same social
event but that the whole event was filmed. Watching it afterwards would help
you in that you would become better aware of………because…
4. Gaining some distance can help you
know yourself better
a. The purpose of mindfulness
meditation is to get the individual to…
b. Keeping a diary, self-reflection and
serious conversations don’t work well because …
c. Young people in many countries believe they
need to complete their education, get a job, get married buy a house and a car
but this may not make them happy because…
5. We too often think we are better at
something than we are
a. Read the information provided about
the Dunning Kruger effect carefully. Which sentence best summarizes the outcome
of the experiment?
b. What is the significance of the
above outcome?
c. What is the obvious reason for the
chasm between would be and actual performance?
d. What is its implication in terms of
a person’s whole life?
e. Why?
6. People who tear themselves down
experience setbacks more frequently
a. Parents who treat their children
harshly in the belief that they are preparing them for life are making a
mistake because…
b. What surprising conclusion can be
drawn from Swann’s experiment? Two answers
c. What is the reason for this
surprising conclusion? Two answers
7. You deceive yourself without
realizing it
a. The experiment involving the IQ test
proved that…,
b. The purpose of Sloman’s experiment
was to show that…
c. The experiments carried out by Gur
and Sackeim show that…
d. Refer to the study involving a
practice test. It made little sense for the subjects to cheat yet they did
because….
8. The true self is good for you
a. The purpose of the study conducted
by Schlegel and Hicks was…
b. We understand from Newman and
Knobe’s study that people believe… Two answers
c. The study involving Mark’s dilemma
proved that…
d. The fact that people connect
personal improvements more than personal deficiencies to their true selves may
explain why…
e. Was the initial question posed in
the study involving Buddhists supported or not by the conclusions reached at
the end of the study? How do you know?
9. Insecure people tend to behave more
morally
a. Why do “insecure people behave more
morally”? Be specific.
b. What is ironical about people who
think they know themselves well?
10. If you think of yourself as
flexible, you will do much better
a. Why is a person who believes he is
doomed to fail more likely to do so? Two answers
b. The healthiest attitude to failure
is …
c. What misconception concerning
personality is mentioned in the text?
WRITING TASK
Use the
information in the text and the videos to write about how we can gain a better
understanding of ourselves and our motives
TEN THINGS YOU DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT YOURSELF; KEY
AND TEACHERS’ NOTES
This fascinating text underlines our various
misconceptions, unconscious motivations and defense mechanisms concerning our
understanding of our personality. The opinions are supported by research
conducted by renowned scholars and experts. The structure of the text is very
well suited to self study or class work as it is divided into ten short
sections each addressing one aspect of the problem. The activity can be done in
installments at home or in class
1 a. We do
not have privileged access to who we are (Shortest answer) b. We do not want to
be stingy, arrogant or self-righteous so we assume that we are not any
of those things c. We are primed to mask our own biases, we intend to be morally good d. We are
producing a flattering self-image that denies the failings that we all have
2 a. How
well people know themselves b. Unconscious parts of the personality come to the
fore c. The second
3 a. Our assessments of ourselves most closely
match assessments by others when it comes to more neutral characteristics b. No
they wouldn’t because his characteristics would not affect his behavior c. The
effect we have on others; we would see our own facial expressions, gestures and
body language
4 a. Step
out of himself and simply observe what his mind does b. They don’t provide
distance c. Their conscious goals and unconscious motives may not be aligned or
congruent
5 a. The
more incompetent people are the less aware they are of their incompetence b.
Boasting and failing may be two sides of the same coin c. A moderate inflation
of self esteem has certain benefits d. An embellished self image seems to help
us weather the ups and downs of daily life e. Rose colored glasses tend to
increase our sense of well being and our performance
6 a. Experiencing contempt and belittlement in
childhood can make them belittle themselves and their efforts b. People with a
negative self image don’t want to overcompensate / Many individuals racked with
self-doubt seek confirmation of their distorted self perception c. We want
others to see us the way we see ourselves / The desire for coherence
7 a. To appear convincing, we ourselves must be
convinced of our capabilities and truthfulness b. We adapt our self-deceptions flexibly to new
situations c. We know something about ourselves on some level without being
conscious of it d. People incorrectly think intelligent people usually do
better on tests.
8 a. To
examine how people’s view of their true self affected their satisfaction with
themselves b. Humans harbor a true self that is virtuous / People pull for what
is moral and good c. What we claim to be
the core of another person’s personality is in fact rooted in the values that
we ourselves hold most dear d. We ascribe more negative traits to the person we
were in the past e. Yes; nearly three out of four monks decided against the
fictitious option far more than the Americans or Hindus
9 a. To try
to prove they are moral b. Those who think they know themselves well are
particularly apt to know themselves less well than they think
10 a.
People’s own theories about who they are influence how they behave / One’s
self-image can easily become a self-fulfilling prophecy b. An attitude aimed at
personal growth c. The fact that we view our character as static
